Welcome Remarks for Global Mediation Summit

Following is the welcoming remarks by the Secretary-General at the Global Mediation Summit on 8 May 2026:
 
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
The Global Mediation Summit is the first major event of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) since its establishment on 20 October 2025. I wish to extend my warmest welcome to all of you here in Hong Kong SAR.
 
IOMed is the first inter-governmental international organization set up by a Convention to promote exclusively the use of mediation. It fills an institutional gap and brings forth mediation as a true viable alternative to resolving international disputes alongside litigation and arbitration.
 
Since its inauguration, IOMed has been staffed by the legal officers from China which included secondees from the Department of Justice of Hong Kong SAR. Our Headquarters are housed in the beautiful heritage building in Wan Chai which is a landmark by its own right. I must thank the Chinese government including the Hong Kong SAR government for their continuous support.
 
We have started our first round of international recruitment and have received a lot of highly qualified and competitive applications. I am looking forward to more legal officers and staff joining us from around the globe especially from our signatory states.  
 
The two main roles of IOMed are that of case administration and capacity building. Let me use this opportunity to highlight that we administer THREE types of disputes: state-to-state, investor-state and international commercial. Our case administration services have been engaged and there are success stories. Mediation is confidential and hence it is not possible for me to divulge any further information without the consent of the parties and the mediators, however, do let me come back to you on this later.
 
Capacity building is one of our key mandate set out in the Convention. State-to-state mediation training will be conducted first online in June and later in Hong Kong SAR in November. International investment mediation training will be conducted along the same lines. November will be an important time for IOMed here in Hong Kong SAR. Apart from the training workshops which we hope to be working with other international bodies, we will also be hosting a major event and so please do join us again then.
 
Tomorrow, the first IOMed Seminar will be conducted as an amuse bouche in capacity building for delegates from our signatory states where after a short presentation by the experts, demonstration and discussions on how mediation should be conducted will take place at the Headquarters.
 
These cannot be achieved without a promotion and marketing strategy that aims to raise our visibility. Reaching out and welcoming in-bound visits have been non-stop since our inauguration: giving talks and speeches at numerous international events and major conferences held in Chinese mainland and overseas; meeting important international bodies explaining our role as an international public good; and meeting corporations to explain how mediation will be of benefit to their operations are but some of the activities we have embarked upon.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, let me share with you two important developments of IOMed.
 
First, with the consent of the parties and the mediator, I am delighted to share with you that a maritime dispute was successfully resolved through mediation administered by IOMed at our Hong Kong Headquarters in early May, just a few days ago.
 
The case marks an important milestone: it is the first international maritime dispute involving a charterparty chain referred to IOMed for mediation. The matter, involving parties from China and Singapore, was successfully settled and resulted in a written settlement agreement, bringing the disputes across the charterparty chain to a full and effective conclusion.
 
The successful resolution demonstrates the value of amicable dispute resolution and the effectiveness of mediation as a practical means of resolving complex maritime disputes. It is also a landmark achievement for IOMed and indeed a significant moment for Hong Kong SAR’s maritime industry, particularly its maritime legal and dispute resolution services.
 
The mediation was conducted by Ms. Rosita Lau, based in Hong Kong SAR, an internationally recognized shipping lawyer, whose expertise contributed to the successful outcome.
 
This achievement is one that all parties involved and indeed the international maritime community can take pride in and celebrate.
 
The second point I wish to share is this. Aligning with Hong Kong’s goal to further develop the commodities market, and the intention to stipulate use of IOMed mediation in the related contracts and policy, the Secretariat of IOMed is working with the Hong Kong SAR Government and other stakeholders to explore the establishment of a dedicated special panel of mediators for commodities market disputes under the IOMed framework. Such a special panel will provide specialized mediators across the full commodities value chain, from upstream to downstream activities. This move will promote using IOMed mediation as the prime mechanism to resolve disputes in international commodities disputes and will strengthen the market confidence and facilitate cross-border transactions. We hope this will demonstrate IOMed’s responsiveness to evolving needs of global commerce and international investment transactions.
 
Let me return to today’s Summit.
 
We are delighted to have delegates here from over 60 countries and regions totaling over 1000 people, including government officials, representatives from international organizations, eminent mediators, businesses leaders, lawyers and academics attending both online and here in Hong Kong SAR. Today we brought together three panels of experts. The first comprised of world-class mediators with vast experience in state-to-state and investor-state disputes. They are facilitators of peace who will share their wisdom and actual experience. We must also listen to the users, and the second panel will be the clients’ voice, where we hear from international bodies like AIIB, International Council of the Red Cross, business leader, former state official and dispute resolution lawyer who will tell us why mediation should be your first choice in resolving disputes. The third panel puts together representatives from international organizations who have been staunch supporters for the cause of mediation: UNCITRAL, ICSID, HCCH, African Institute of International Law and academics who will help us to look beyond the horizon, so as to develop a global mediation ecosystem.
 
With that I must stop and allow you to hear from these distinguished experts and I wish you all a pleasant time in Hong Kong SAR.